Subscribe To

Monday, 1 April 2013

Bodrum - Walking in Famous Footprints.

Herodotus wouldn’t recognise Bodrum as
his birthplace Halicarnassus, but I’m sure he’d send you off to the 8 Lelegian
towns around the Bodrum peninsula, to savour what life was like in the 5th
century BC.Make an easy start by
visiting Pedasa above Konacik, a well signposted road now leads almost all the
way to the site, or head out to Yalıçiftlik and take a left turn to Alazeytin to walk around the ruined fort
of Syangela. If feeling exceptionally fit, carry on over the mountain towards
Etrim and walk up to Theangela.Which ever site you choose, you will be transported back to times when
Persians ruled the land and pirates dominated the seas and the only safe places
to live were on top of steep hills where you could see the enemy approach your
thick defensive walls.

Picture 1View from
Syangela.

Mausolus would insist that you stayed
in the centre of Bodrum. He had no truck with the outlying towns and in the 4th
century BC insisted the residents move to Halicarnassus, his new Carian capital
city. His wife/sister made sure
that Mausolus would never be forgotten by building such a magnificent burial
chamber for him that his Mausoleum became one of the Seven Wonders of the World
and gave us a new word. Visit the site on Turgutreis Caddesi, and decide
whether you want to sign the petition to bring the marble friezes and statue of
Mausolus back to his home town from the British Museum.

Alexander the Great spent a lot of time staring
at the walls of Halicarnassus as he laid siege to the city in 334/3 BC You too
can follow the intermittent line of the walls which interweave with modern
streets and carry on up the hillside overlooking the modern town. Eventually,
like Alexander you will find the Myndos gate on the west side of Bodrum.This well restored monument was the
scene of Alexander’s successful breaching of the city’s defences and the
remains of the ancient moat are still visible. Alexander won’t have such good
memories of Myndos; he tried to invade the town but the locals fought him off.
The present day residents of modern Gümüşlük are much more friendly and as the most unspoilt
village on the peninsula, it is worth a visit. Those on a limited budget may
want to check the prices before choosing a seafront restaurant, as the stunning
views don’t come cheap.

The Myndos Gate

Jumping
the centuries, when The Knights of St John started building in the
early 15th century AD, they made sure that their legacy would define
modern Bodrum to this day.As you
crest the hill on the main road from the airport, their magnificent Castle on
the seafront draws the eye both day and night. No visit to Bodrum should ever
be considered without spending a day in the museum in the castle. Reconstructions
of ancient wrecks, beautiful gold and glass jewellery and the tomb of the
Carian Princess are the highlights and the achievements of both land-based and underwater
archaeologists are awe-inspiring.

Neyzen Tevfik, born in Bodrum in 1879, musician
and poet and most famous master of the Turkish woodwind – the ney, would certainly direct visitors to the varied
cultural entertainments in Bodrum.Art lovers can visit a multitude of painting and ceramic exhibitions in
galleries in Oasis Shopping Mall, the Castle, the Ottoman tower and many more
venues spread over the peninsula. This summer, the Gümüşlük Classical Music Festival
will celebrate its 10th anniversary and yacht marinas have ambitious music
programs. Try and catch a ballet in the atmospheric theatre next to the castle.
I’m sure Neyzen’s spirit wasin
the audience watching Carlos Acosta dance in Bodrum.

March Anemones

The Fisherman of Halicarnassus
was
exiled to Bodrum as a punishment but fell in love with the village and returned
to live. As a respected author, he popularized the place amongst intellectuals
and was responsible for the awakening of this small fishing village. He’d have
you chartering a locally built wooden yacht , gulet, along the coast to
experience the clear turquoise waters and sheltered bays of the now famous Blue
Voyage.As a lover of nature, he
would also encourage a Spring visit to experience the exquisite scent of the
citrus gardens and the multi coloured glory of the March anemones.

The turquoise
waters of the Blue Cruise

Walk up the hill from the Halikarnas Disco andyou will find yourself on Zeki
Muren
Street. This larger than life singer, composer and actor was much loved in
Bodrum. His flamboyant dress, bouffant hair style and in later years, heavy
make up, paved the way for the more relaxed attitudes enjoyed in Bodrumcompared to other Turkish resorts.Visit his house on his own street, now
turned into a museum, spend a few evenings on Bodrum’s bar street with a rose
on your table as Zeki used to have and pay a visit to Bardakçı Bay by small day-trip boat,
in homage to Zeki Bey’s favourite destination.

And
finally, stand between the Tepecik
Mosque and the Bodrum Marina with your back to the castle and stare at the
massive white house which stands tastefully proud in front of you.Here Ahmet
Ertegun,
founder of Atlantic records entertained the likes of Princess Margaret , Mick
Jagger and Rudolf Nureyev. Ahmet bey would have you rent one of the many large
villas on the peninsula, invite all your friends and enjoy Bodrum’s distinctive
air, that once tasted, is never forgotten and …party

A big thank you to all you lovely readers for adding your comments to the competition page. You must have swayed the judges in my favour.

The results were posted today and I'm the runner-up. It was after noon so I don't think it's an April Fool's joke. I've never entered a writing contest before so I'm extremely pleased with this result and the prize; a $200 Amazon voucher.

If you'd like to enter the next Expats Blog competition, they are offering a $100 prize for the best ex-pat related idea for the next contest. Let's all give it a go.

Congratulations to Joanna Munro for her wonderfully well written winning entry.

We're very happy but not at all surprised. We thought your article was the kind of creative and imaginative approach that to us is the essence of good writing. If this was your first writing contest entry, well, maybe you should do it more often. A hearty congratulations.

Dear Annie, congratulations! I so enjoyed reading your column for the contest. It was so well-done that I think you could write an article about Turkey and its wonders and sites that the London Times might be interested in for its travel pages. Think about it. Peace.

Well done Annie - runner up on your first effort is fantastic. $200 should buy you a few Kindle books (unless you spent an absolute fortune on the dog clippers!). Love your blog - only wish we could get reliable internet more often on our trip through Europe.

About Me

In early 1982 I boarded a Turkish Kibris flight to Izmir - my destination was a 29 foot sloop in Bodrum's new marina. At 22, my belongings fitted into a worse for wear sailing holdall. In 2012 I made a similar journey from Heathrow to Bodrum. Thirty years have passed and Bodrum has changed. There are plenty of very good blogs detailing the ex-pat journey through modern Turkey. The aim of this one is to catch sight of past Turkey through my experience of re-settling in modern Bodrum.